River sojourns a perfect way to spend June

OUTDOORS

Three local rivers host sojourns

Participents launch from Jim Thorpe on Day 2 of the Lehigh RIver Sojourn… (MICHAEL KUBEL, MORNING…)

May 29, 2012|Gary Blockus

Now that Memorial Day has unofficially kicked off the summer season, warm-weather enthusiasts quickly turn to spending time on the water. Whether you boat, tube or paddle, heading out on the water on a hot summer day is refreshing, invigorating and opens your eyes to the natural world we live in.

Perhaps because the water temperatures traditionally rise with the air temperatures in June, it is celebrated as River Month, and Rivers Month brings a variety of river sojourns throughout Pennsylvania and the nation, according to Elizabeth Dugan, vice president of development and communications at Wildlands Conservancy.

Sojourns are held nearby on the Delaware, Lehigh and Schuylkill rivers, and all three offer some breathtaking paddles with kayaking, canoeing, and on some segments, whitewater rafting.

"The Lehigh River is the most commercial paddle river east of the Mississippi," said Joe Bennett, a former river guide and one of the safety crew members who helps out on the whitewater portion of the Delaware River Sojourn as well as with the paddle stages of the Lehigh River Sojourn. "I think the Lehigh has something like 26 trips a day with 120 people per trip, plus guides, through Lehigh Gorge State Park. It's really a unique resource right here in our backyard. More and more people are looking at the cost of travel these days, and these so-called 'staycations' are reasonable."

Most river sojourns allow people to participate on one, a few or all of the days of the sojourn. In addition, there is evening camping, common dinners, some of which are provided as part of the sojourn fees.

"We like to canoe, we like the outdoors and we like camping, and the sojourns are all three combined," explained 77-year-old Elsie Metz. She and her husband, Paul, have taken part on many of the Lehigh River Sojourns and part of the Schuylkill River Sojourn.

"The Schuylkill is a lot easier than the Lehigh because you don't have as many rapids, it's not as swift and the days are longer," she said.

"The nice thing about the sojourns is that when you're canoeing, you usually have to have a car at both ends of the trip. With the sojourns, you don't have to do that. For the Lehigh River Sojourn, Wildlands Conservancy provides all the stuff you need … they have meals ready for us, camping spots ready for us, transportation ready for us, safety crews. You don't have to do anything except enjoy it."

Paddling on a river is not always easy. The Lehigh is shallow in parts and the whitewater can be tricky to negotiate, which is why the safety crews help guide the safest path down the most challenging water.

In the hours after paddling, sojourners get the chance to relax with newfound friends made through the day's activities. Most of the sojourns are sponsored by conservation organizations or efforts, so there is always an educational component built in, whether it's about the river, wildlife, the forest, activities or history.

"The camaraderie is great," Elsie said. "You get to know the people and have fun doing things together. Wildlands Conservancy also provides entertainment every night, so we enjoy that with the friends and people we meet. You find out doing trips like this that everyone usually has a lot in common."

Sojourns can create all kinds of special memories, even with things like Elsie laughed about that might seem disastrous, like overturning their canoe first thing in the morning and having to go through the rest of the day soaking wet.

"Another year, we had a flood in 2006 and on the third day, the Lehigh River was so high that instead of canoes, Wildlands Conservancy brought down rafts. We got down to the Treichlers dam before the bridge and had to get out of the water because it was too dangerous."

"Most of the safety crew is like me," Bennett said. "We volunteer our time to provide safety and make sure our people are posted near dangerous spots on the river. I have my EMT [certification], so I'm also there for emergency medical situations. Fortunately, in all the year's we've run the Lehigh River Sojourn, we haven't had to open a first aid box. It's a matter of prevention with us and people continue to come back."

Dugan said that this is the 16th year for the Lehigh River Sojourn, which her organizations "hosts."

"We were one of the first sojourns," she said. "We host it because it's the best way to show the community the great natural resource we have right here in our backyard and to showcase the great work Wildlands Conservancy does in protecting land and the Lehigh watershed, helping to reinvigorate it for fishing, swimming and recreation, and how important it is to protect."